Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2012-08, Thiamethoxam

Notice to the reader: The online consultation is now closed. Comments and suggestions received during the public consultation period are being considered in the finalization of this document. The final report will be made available as soon as possible.

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
28 March 2012
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2012-08E-PDF (PDF version)

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Under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has concluded that the addition of new uses on fruiting vegetables, except cucurbits (Crop Group 8) to the product label of Actara 25WG Insecticide, containing technical grade thiamethoxam, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Actara 25WG Insecticide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 28408.

The evaluation of this thiamethoxam application indicated that the end-use product has merit and value and the human health and environmental risks associated with the new uses are acceptable. Details regarding the registration can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report that is available in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.^Footnote1

Before registering a pesticide for food use in Canada, the PMRA must determine the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on the food when the pesticide is used according to label directions and that such residues will not be a concern to human health. This quantity is then legally established as a maximum residue limit (MRL). An MRL applies to the identified raw agricultural food commodity as well as to any processed food product that contains it, except where separate MRLs are specified for the raw agricultural commodity and a processed product made from it.

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for thiamethoxam is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps).

To comply with Canada's international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRLs is also being conducted internationally by notifying the  World Trade Organization, as coordinated by the  Standards Council of Canada.

The proposed MRLs in Canada in or on food, to replace the MRLs already legally established for thiamethoxam, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Thiamethoxam

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
ppm = parts per million Footnote * The MRLs are proposed to replace the 0.02 ppm MRL currently established for all commodities without a specified MRL for thiamethoxam as captured by AAll food crops (other than those listed in this item)@. Return to footnote * referrer
Thiamethoxam	3-[(2-chloro-5-thiazolyl)methyl]tetrahydro-5-methyl-N-nitro-4H-1,3,5-oxadiazin-4-imine, including the metabolite (E)-N-[(2-chloro-5-thiazolyl)methyl]-N'-methyl-N''-nitroguanidine	0.8	Tomato pasteFootnote*
		0.25	Fruiting vegetables, except cucurbits (Crop Group 8)Footnote*

An MRL is proposed for each commodity included in the fruiting vegetables crop group in accordance with the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

A complete list of all pesticide MRLs established in Canada, as of the date indicated, can be found on the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

International Situation and Trade Implications

MRLs may vary from one country to another for a number of reasons, including differences in pesticide use patterns and the locations of the field crop trials used to generate residue chemistry data. The proposed MRLs for thiamethoxam in Canada are the same as corresponding tolerances established in the United States but differ from Codex MRLs.^Footnote2 American tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. Codex MRLs are listed on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food website, by pesticide or commodity.

Table 2 - Comparison of Canadian MRLs, American Tolerances and Codex MRLs

Food Commodity	Canadian MRL (ppm)	American Tolerance (ppm)	Codex MRL (ppm)
Footnote * In the absence of an MRL for the processed commodity, the MRL for the raw agricultural commodity, tomatoes, applies. Tomatoes are included in the fruiting vegetables crop group. Return to footnote * referrer
Tomato paste	0.8	0.8	0.7Note de bas de page*
Fruiting vegetables, except cucurbits (Crop Group 8)	0.25	0.25	0.7

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for thiamethoxam up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document. Please forward your comments to Publications. The PMRA will consider all comments received before making a final decision on the proposed MRLs for thiamethoxam and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.